Writing out the same word again and again may bring back bad memories for some, but handwriting can boost connectivity across brain regions, some of which are involved in learning and memory, a new study shows.

In the study, psychologists Audrey and Ruud, both at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, stuck electrodes (电极) on the participants’ heads. They asked the participants to type out or hand write with a digital pen words that appeared on a computer screen. Sensors in a cap recorded electrical brain activity. Then the psychologists looked for when two brain areas are active with the same frequency of electrical waves at the same time. This result can reveal the connectivity among different regions across the brain.

With handwriting, the researchers saw increased activity, specifically in low frequency bands, not only in the expected motor areas but also in others associated with learning. These low frequency bands have previously been shown to support memory processes. When the team compared the two tasks, they realized that handwriting —but not typing —increased the connectivity across parietal (顶叶) brain regions, which are involved in sensory and motor processing, and central regions, many of which are involved in memory.

“Even when the movements are very similar, the activation seems much, much higher in handwriting,” Audrey says. “It shows that there’s more involvement of these brain regions when you’re handwriting, which might give you some specific advantages.”

These findings suggest that there are distinct processes of brain activation happening while a person types or writes. This boost of stimulation of handwriting facilitates learning because these particular waves between these areas are involved in memory formation and encoding (编码) .

And although handwriting may help with learning processes, typing is often easier, faster and more practical. “Students and teachers alike should therefore consider the task at hand to decide to hand write or type,” Audrey says. Despite the need for more studies to determine the best learning strategy, experts say that handwriting shouldn’t be left behind in the digital age. “Schools need to bring in more writing into curriculum design,” Ruud says.

“What beautiful music!”I shout loudly as my 9-year-old son practices playing the violin. He’s used to this praise; I give rewards like that most days. But every once in a while, I skip it, and when I do, I can see the disappointment on his face when he’s finished.

Am I a bad mom? Conventional wisdom says that consistency is key to parenting since it enables your child to predict how you’ll react, leading to good behavior. And it’s true that children need some level of predictability in their lives, particularly when it comes to discipline.

But research suggests that inconsistent gifts and praise can have a greater effect on motivation. While we all like to live in a predictable world, we often respond more strongly to unpredictable rewards.

In one experiment, my colleagues and I told participants they’d be paid if they could drink about one-and-a-half quarts of water in two minutes or less. In one condition, we offered people a $2 fixed reward. In another, there was an uncertain reward of either $2 or $1. The certain reward was a better deal, yet many more people successfully met the challenge when assigned an uncertain reward. Resolving the uncertainty — whether they would win $1 or $2 — was significantly more motivating than winning $2 for sure.

Here is one of the reasons why uncertainty is motivating. What scientists call “intermittent (间歇性) reinforcement” — rewarding behavior on some but not all occasions — makes it more arduous to know when rewards will show up. If you very often, but don’t always, praise your child for completing their chores, they’ll keep up the good behavior in the hope of receiving praise the next time.

So don’t assume that if kids are always praised for finishing their homework, they’ll be more likely to do it. Do praise young people for a job well done, just not every time. And pick rewards out of a hat when they complete chores—the surprise prize might keep everyone motivated to get things done.

Whales, particularly baleen and sperm whales, are among the largest creatures on Earth. Their presence in the ocean shapes the ecosystems around them. These creatures are also helping to determine the temperature of the planet.

When whales die, they sink to the ocean floor and all the carbon that is stored in their extremely large bodies is transferred from surface waters to the deep sea, where it remains for centuries or more. Scientists found that before industrial whaling, populations of whales would have sunk between 190, 000 to 1. 9 million tonnes of carbon per year to the bottom of the ocean, which equals taking between 40, 000 and 410, 000 cars off the road each year. But when they are killed and their bodies are prevented from sinking to the seabed, that carbon is released into the atmosphere.

But whales are not only valuable in death. The tides of excrement(排泄物) that whales produce are also surprisingly relevant to the climate. Their iron-rich excrement creates the perfect growing conditions for phytoplankton(浮游植物). These creatures may be microscopic, but, taken together, they have a great influence on the planet’s atmosphere, absorbing about 40% of all CO2 produced, four times the amount absorbed by the Amazon rainforest.

“Whaling has removed a huge organic carbon pump from the ocean that would have been having a much larger multiplying effect on phytoplankton productivity and the ocean’s ability to absorb carbon, ” says Vicki James, policy manager at Whale and Dolphin Conservation.

What this means is that restoring whale populations to their pre-whaling numbers could be an important tool in fighting climate change, and helping to slightly reduce the large amount of CO2 from fossil fuels every year.